This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2003-0060206, filed on Aug. 29, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data storage systems such as hard disk drives, and more particularly, to data protection such that data stored within the data storage system is not available to an unauthorized user.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example data storage system is a HDD (hard disk drive). Initial supply of power to a hard disk drive starts an initialization process. During the initialization process, a spindle motor and a head are moved over a predetermined area of a disk for reading maintenance cylinder (MC) data thereon. Such MC data is then stored within a buffer.
The predetermined area of the disk where the MC data is stored is normally not accessible by a user but may be accessible through the inside of a hard disk drive. Information needed for initializing the hard disk drive is stored in such a predetermined area. Such initialization information includes a serial number, a defect list, smart information, zone information, and the like for the hard disk drive. The MC data stored in the buffer contains information needed to operate the hard disk drive for performing read/write operations. Thus, such MC data is critical for typical operations of the hard disk drive.
The MC data, as critical initialization data, is loaded in the buffer during the initialization process whenever power is initially supplied to the hard disk drive. Thereafter, the MC data is erased from the buffer when power is no longer supplied to the hard disk drive.
In general, a hard disk drive includes a device that locks firmware within the hard disk drive for protection of data stored in the hard disk drive. However, when a printed circuit board (PCB) to which the firmware is loaded is switched with another PCB that does not lock the firmware, data in the hard disk drive is accessible to unauthorized users just as in a hard disk drive where the firmware is not locked.